


A Perfect Situation

by Caffeinatedlavender



Category: Descendants (Disney Movies)
Genre: Audrey and Jay are exes but good friends, Fluff, Gil is like a big brother to Celia you can't change my mind, Implied abuse, Implied animal abuse, Light Angst, M/M, Volunteering at an animal shelter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-21
Updated: 2020-01-26
Packaged: 2021-02-16 06:55:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,298
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21503710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Caffeinatedlavender/pseuds/Caffeinatedlavender
Summary: Anon's request of Jay getting Gil a pet. After a year of traveling around the world and settling down in Auradon, Jay and Gil decide to volunteer at an animal shelter. A particular cat catches Gil’s eyes. Chaos ensues.
Relationships: Gil/Jay (Disney: Descendants)
Comments: 13
Kudos: 68





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, I'm back-lots of reasons why as to why I disappeared but for this fic in particular? I got stuck at the ending. It was meant to be a long one-shot but as I kept backreading, I realize that may have been the problem. So, I'll be splitting these up into chapters instead and hope I came up with an ending by then! The chapters may be long or short depending on how I split them up so I apologize for any sporadic chapter length. 
> 
> The anon I received requested Jay getting Gil a pet so here it is! It's probably not what this anon had expected but I hope this makes it worth the wait!
> 
> I named the title of this story based on Weezer's Perfect Situation. Not sure if the song fits the story but I feel like the song title does.

One of Gil’s favorite things about Auradon was learning that new things were bound to pop up. Every day was almost like Christmas with how different Auradon was compared to the Isle. The sights, colors, sounds, smells, even people, was so much more different. It was actually so much better than the Isle in every single way and he ended up finding some new reason to fall in love with this new change in his life.

And one of the things Gil began loving more than anything else was animals.

Jay was one of the first to learn about this in their yearlong travel. They had gained a close friendship in their travels as a result of the many firsts they've seen and experienced. The trip left them with stories to tell and a close friendship. For Jay, however, it always left him with something else. He was almost afraid to admit what it was thought he knew it was obvious. His friends knew, of course, and teased him over the once flirtatious and straightforward man being reduced to a shy and awkward teenager. He would tell them that he wasn't in love; he just had to take care of him even though no one asked him to. And then he would throw pillows at them.

Luckily, they knew how to keep a secret. They easily ‘dismissed’ Jay's tagging along as simply looking out for Gil It was easy to disguise anyway considering how events of Gil nearly escaping death from trying to touch 'friendly animals' made a huge chunk of the stories. Even with the local zoo, Gil was kicked out more than once from trying to climb the giraffe exhibit since they were the friendliest animals they had encountered on the trip.

The closest they could do to fulfill Gil’s need was by volunteering at the local shelter as Carlos suggested. Originally, the workers were reluctant to hire VKs as volunteers, but a recommendation letter from their star volunteer Carlos, and the King and Queen themselves made it not an option. Reluctantly, one of the workers had them sign waivers, wash their hands and go to the cat room as it was around the time to entertain the cats for a while.

“Audrey, we have new volunteers, so would you mind helping them? I need to check up on how Chad is doing with the dogs.” The worker opened the door to let the two in before closing it, seeming to already know the answer or at least pretending she knew.

The two couldn’t find anyone in the room for a moment. It seemed to be filled with cats roaming about. They were either asleep in the cat beds, playing with toys or climbing on top of cat towers and cages. From an aisle of cages, Audrey poked her head out to meet her eyes with the two who looked incredibly out of place.

After the whole incident, it was strange to see Audrey in a place like an animal shelter. It didn’t seem to matter to her one bit; her hair was in a messy bun and she wore clothing that seemed like something she wouldn’t be caught wearing at the school. With the warm smile she gave at them, she also gave an aura of something else...comfort? Relaxation? Either way, it felt almost like how Gil felt about being able to leave the isle. For an Auradon kid, they did seem to have something in common.

“Well, it’s nice to see some new faces here,” Audrey said as she approached them. A kitten was resting on her shoulder, seeming very content in its place considering they were asleep. She looked at Gil, recognizing his face almost immediately, “You’re one of the pirates?”

“Oh, uh yeah, my name’s Gil. Son of Gaston.” He answered sheepishly.

“Yikes, that must’ve been awkward around Ben.”

"Oh, it was! Still is, kinda fun.” He chuckled, “And you’re Sleeping Beauty’s daughter, right?”

“Yep! Name's Audrey; it's nice to meet you formally, Gil. Is there any reason why you two are volunteering?"

“Just tagging along with him.” Jay hadn’t really been speaking because he was distracted by a cat trying to climb up his leg.

"The Isle never had many animals and apparently, you can't hug a lion. So Carlos suggested volunteering because they’re in the same family." Gil shrugged.

It was quick to see Audrey seemed puzzled by his statement, but refrained from asking further questions, "Well the closest to a lion is a cat so he’s right. And they won't hurt you, mostly."

"Is that what these animals are called again? That’s pretty cool!"

Audrey was slowly wondering either just how stupid Gil was or how horrible the Isle was. Internally, she hoped it was the first thing that was true, "Well, we usually let the cats out for a bit to chill before we move on to the dogs. And it looks like you have fans already.”

Jay and Gil definitely had a few cats already at their feet begging to be played with. The cat trying to climb Jay’s leg had managed to reach up to his knee and he could actually feel the claws painfully digging into his skin. He gently picked the cat up as he turned to Gil, "They're mostly harmless. They'll usually let you know when they're not interested in playing or something."

"How do I play with one?" He asked sheepishly. Even though the cats were so adorable and he wanted nothing more than to hug them, he had no idea if it was a good idea or not.

Audrey walked away for a few moments before coming back with a small box of cat toys. The three sat down on the floor as Audrey pulled out a stick that had a feather attached to it. She handed it to Gil, "Just wave it in front of them and try to not let them catch it."

Gil did as told, watching some of the cats immediately fight one another for the feather. He just waved it near enough for them to catch with their paws, but too quickly for them to be able to. The cats seemed to be entertained by it though, and Gil was smiling stupidly at that, but he didn’t care; it was cute.

He looked up to see Jay laughing as a cat decided the only way to win the game was to lay on top of another for whatever reason. Then said cat figured out it was actually comfy laying like that, so they settled down while the cat underneath accepted their fate. He had seen Jay laugh before as they had spent a year alone after all. It didn’t mean he had grown used to the way it felt like his heart would collapse on the spot from how genuine and kind he was when he laughed. He had thought that it would eventually fade away when they came back to Auradon but he saw that it wouldn’t be the case. Unsure of if the cats or Jay was cuter, he turned his face away from Jay so he wouldn’t see just how red his face was becoming.

* * *

Five minutes were left until they checked on the dogs so the three began cleaning up the toys and getting the cats to their proper cages. It was easy to identify given their collars though it was harder for the two men to find the right cages as it was their first day. It became a game of seeing who could put the cat in the right cage first. Audrey had to patiently fix their mistakes more than once.

Gil placed a cat named Lucifer in its cage. He meowed in protest, but upon seeing the cat food he laid beside it, he quickly shut up. He closed and locked the cage making sure it was secure before he moved onto the next cat.

Or that was the plan until something caught his eye. There was an orange cat in an open cage huddled beside a corner. It didn’t seem like he actually came out to wander and play. There was a description of him written on his cage much like other cats. He skimmed through it to get through to the important details. 

_ Wolf _

_ Male _

_ Purebred(?) Maine Coon _

_ 1-2 years old _

The moment Gil tried to touch him, the cat quickly turned around to hiss and scratch his hand before turning back to the corner. He retreated his hand too late and flinched in pain as he felt his hand slowly burn from the inflicted scratch. Four red lines slowly began to appear on his hand and he suddenly understood why Audrey and Jay called cats ‘mostly safe’.

“Are you okay, Gil?” Jay had only managed to catch the motion of Gil flinching as he put away a cat near him.

“Yeah, he just scratched me when I tried to pet him,” He sighed. He closed the cage with his uncut hand before standing up to face Jay, “I don’t think he came out of that cage did he?”

“It’s hard to tell since there were a number of cats,” He answered as he looked at the cage. He frowned slightly when he saw the cat huddled in a corner. He really only knew tidbits about cats from what Carlos and the Internet told him so he couldn’t pinpoint what felt wrong. He knew enough that this behavior wasn’t exactly normal compared to the rest of the cats, “...But maybe he’s just sick?”

Audrey had managed to hear tidbits of the conversation but heard enough to jump in despite being on another side of the room, "He's not sick. He's just always been this way. I haven't seen him move from his spot since he came in."

“Why?”

“He came from an abusive owner. The poor thing was treated so terribly that the police thought he was dead when they found him. He’s healed from the injuries, but I don’t think he’ll recover mentally.“

“Oh,” Was all he said. He looked at the cat again, “Do you think he’ll get adopted soon though?”

“Don’t think so. He’s not even ready for foster care yet. He’ll get there eventually though.” Audrey made a quick check around all the cages, making sure they were closed as she approached the two, "We should get your hand cleaned up though. There's a first aid kit in the office."

* * *

Gil had decided to sneak on back to the cat room while Jay was attempting to walk a bloodhound and Audrey was recording the attempts, claiming she was 'helping'. There wasn’t a single person in sight and the cats immediately started meowing once they heard the door open.

While it hurt to ignore them, he only had one cat in mind. He quickly found Wolf’s cage. He was still in the same spot as when he left him, but he knew he was awake from how his ears perked up at the sounds and his head moved ever so slightly to meet his gaze before turning back.

Gil didn’t mind. He sat down on the floor and did what he had wanted to do earlier. Talk.

“I’m guessing you’re pretty scared huh? Having something you’re used to being taken away like that and no one explaining why things happened the way they did... well, assuming that you’d understand,” He spoke softly as if afraid someone would overhear him, “I am scared too honestly. Everything new is just scary and you end up wondering why you were stuck in a situation for so long when it only took seconds to fix.”

Wolf’s ears were perked. He still didn’t move away from his spot, but it was clear he was listening. That was more than enough for Gil to smile at least.

“But maybe this can be good. You and I don’t have to deal with that terrible old life anymore. There are people out here willing to help you and they really love you. They’re not the kinda people to lie and stuff, even if that can be boring. But maybe you should give them a shot. They can seem scary and too nice sometimes, but they really only want you to be happy and find someone who will love you. It won’t hurt to try, right?”

Wolf didn’t speak or give an acknowledgment. His ears were still perked so it was a sign at least.

“Even if everyone says it’s impossible to befriend you, I think there’s a chance. We can try tomorrow to play, I'm positive you'll like that weird stick with a feather game.”

The cat wouldn't turn back to face him again. Gil was okay with that. He understood what it was like to be afraid, mostly of people.

"Jay no!" Audrey's voice was audible even though the cat's meows and wall barriers.

"Well help me dammit!" Jay's voice was cut off short, either because of him getting interrupted or it is hard to hear him through the walls, cats, and now dogs. Probably both.

"I better get going but good night, I'll see you tomorrow I promise." He said quickly before he left the cat room to save Jay from being dragged by a dog. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the long wait! I would copy and paste a section here, edit it, and then log off my computer, completely forgetting I hadn't even saved it as a draft. This has happened more than once. Whoops.

Jay and Gil would volunteer at that shelter at least three times a week as that's as far as Jay's busy schedule would allow him. They would sometimes cross paths with Audrey or Carlos but once they were trusted and knew the routine, were mostly left to themselves. Mostly. If they ever ended up working on the days a particular worker was, they did their best to avoid her. She was still persistent though and made sure to keep a watchful eye on them, going as far as even critiquing how they walked dogs. She was the only bad apple of the bunch though so it made things easier to let it slide. 

On some days, they were assigned to feed the cats and then feed whatever exotic animals that were taken in. Other days they weren't assigned to feed cats and walked as many dogs as the scheduled three hours would allow them to. No matter what, Gil made sure to visit Wolf.

He would go to him in the last few minutes of his shift and just talk. Talk about his day or Jay or whatever random thing popped off the top of his head. He knew Wolf listened. His ears would perk anytime he spoke and occasionally, he would move to look at him. It would be for a second or two before he turned back to the wall but Gil didn't care. He knew that the seconds between looking at him and the wall were getting longer since he had counted. On one day it was five. Then the next day was seven. And it continued on until the current longest was forty-seven seconds. 

Gil really couldn't have been happier about it. It had meant progress to him and showed that Wolf was slowly getting comfortable. The progress didn't necessarily mean much, however. He still wouldn't come out of his cage to play or liked being petted. Thankfully, the workers noticed the change quite easily just by looking at his behavior. The once timid and aloof cat was still one, but it didn't seem to mind people as much anymore. He would occasionally turn his head if the cage opened, but seemed to lose interest quickly if it wasn't Gil and stared back at the wall. Treats seemed to be enough to get his interest now if the workers wanted to at least look at him for more than ten seconds. It was a bit of a mystery to the workers on how Wolf is changing. 

The workers and volunteers quickly realized it was Gil that Wolf warmed up to whenever he was talking in the cat room. They'd watch as Wolf's head would slowly turn to see if Gil was anywhere near the cage. When he wasn't, he'd cautiously walk up to the cage door to see if he can find him. If the cage was locked, he'd sit there until Gil visited him and left. If it wasn't, he'd hop out of the cage and walk until he found him, still keeping quite a distance from him and everyone else. Anyone that tried to approach him would be met with a hiss or sometimes an attempt to scratch them, but it ended with him darting quickly back to his cage.

The workers were suspicious of how a VK could possibly earn the trust of a cat, but Audrey, Carlos, and Jay were happy for him even though they didn't quite understand how it happened either. Gil would simply say he just talked to him if asked, but it was obvious the workers were wondering if it was more to it. Even the three thought the same at a point, but it was hard to imagine what a person could do to gain a cat's trust other than being around them. Gil had no magic and there was no magic in the world that could possibly get a cat to be more trusting.

It was a slow shift that day and Gil seemed to take advantage of it to disappear. In the last few minutes before their shifts ended Jay found Gil in the cat room, sitting right where Wolf's cage was. The cage was open and Wolf wasn’t out of it, but he was sitting as close as the cage would let him, completely facing forward. 

The cat looked at Jay suspiciously but didn’t retreat back as Gil saw him approach them, "So this is where you run off to around this time."

"Yeah, sorry. I should’ve told you.” Gil apologized quickly, “Did you need me for anything?”

“Nope, I just wanted to look for you. Do you mind if I join you?”

“Not at all! He likes the company, even if he won’t show it.” He smiled at him. It was that same smile that always made Jay’s heart race.

Jay managed to at least appear calm as he sat down next to him, watching as Wolf stood up and seemed ready to retreat back inside the cage once it seemed like he was going to stay. He didn't want to destroy whatever trust Gil worked so hard to obtain and seemed ready to leave until Gil spoke to Wolf.

"It's okay, you can trust him," Gil spoke to Wolf who still seemed suspicious. 

Thankfully, he seemed to trust Gil's word and laid back down. Now that he got to see Wolf clearly, he did get a chance to see that Wolf was an adorable looking cat. From what he was told, his particular breed was popular and it could be easy to see why. He looked just as ordinary as a cat should be but definitely had a journey of trusting people other than Gil.

"How long have you been hanging out with him?" Jay broke the silence.

"Oh, since we worked here. It's really taken a while to get him to be like this around me, but I think it's worth it." 

"I think so too. I don't know how you can do something like that though."

"Same here... I guess I just kinda talked to him the same I would with a friend? It's probably silly, but I think he does understand me when I speak."

"Well, considering how he's not in the corner of the cage, I wouldn't say it's silly." Jay chuckled, "He just really needs someone to depend on and talk to, I guess. You just happen to be it."

He watched as Gil's eyes widened slightly at him as if he said something he never thought of, "Oh... Well, I guess so... but I'm sure anyone could've if they wanted to."

It certainly seemed like Wolf was listening since he slowly walked out of his cage and to Gil's lap. Hesitantly, he laid down with his head resting on his thigh. He seemed even surprised at himself for taking such a step but didn't move. He was obviously tense as if waiting in anticipation for what was to happen next.

"He actually hasn't done this before..." Gil admitted quietly. He carefully brought a hand to his back and watched as Wolf quickly tensed before relaxing. He gently stroked his fur in a slow and repeated pattern which Wolf quickly grew used to enough to close his eyes and completely relax into it.

Jay watched in amazement and in complete silence. Even when Gil spoke, he didn't say anything, mainly because he had nothing to really say. Gil didn't say anything either after a small while. The only audible sound were the usual antics of the cats with a soft purring if one looked for that particular sound.

Watching Wolf seemed so content with Gil honestly felt like he was seeing something in him that really just confirmed how he felt about him. If a formerly abused cat could somehow trust someone from a place like the Isle, maybe there was some hope for all of them in the end.

"You're a really nice person you know that?" Jay spoke after a few minutes. He didn't touch Wolf as much as he wanted because he understood that it would take time for Wolf to trust him as well. He understood the concept of trusting all too well. 

"Oh-no, not at all...I guess...I just relate to the little guy, y' know?" He chuckled nervously as he looked down, stroking Wolf's fur still, "If someone like me is given a chance to start fresh, well, why can't a cat?"

"That's exactly why you're a nice person, Gil."

Gil looked up at him to give that comforting warm smile at him that always made him feel like...the world had stopped. Not in a 'the world is ending' kind of way, but in a way where it felt like everything had just paused. Just for a moment, there was no other thing moving in this world other than the two of them. He just wanted to sit closer to Gil while the world stopped for a moment and kiss him. Despite the fact the timing couldn't be more perfect, he didn't.

The world continued afterward and the moment was lost. He didn't mind, though. He was still sitting next to Gil and for all he knew, hours could've passed but it didn't matter so long as those hours were with him.

* * *

“Sooo...” Audrey spoke up once they were alone. Gil was assigned to Carlos to walk the dogs which meant they were alone, "Are you two like going out?"

"What? Oh, not at all." Jay chuckled as he was drying up a husky named Abby with a towel. She seemed very pleased with it, considering she was calm about it and even wagging her tail. He had grown to love the animals in the shelter, especially the ones that don't give him too much of a hard time. Abby never did, though she did tend to get too excited if the people around her were; she was still a good dog regardless.

She rose an eyebrow as she looked at him, seeming really puzzled, "Really? You haven't even told him how you feel?"

"What makes you think I even like him?" He asked suspiciously.

"The way you guys look at each other when one of you isn't looking-it's like how... well, any person looks like when they're in love. And plus, Gil talks about you. A lot. And I mean, a lot." She emphasized the last words, "And you talk about him as well. It’s cute.”

“Well, we just...“ He trailed off. How could one make an excuse for that?

Her eyes lit up with excitement as she tried to hold in her laughter, “Oh my God you’re blushing! You of all people? I would've thought you had already made a move on him. You made one so quickly on me, remember?"

If it was any other person, Jay knew he certainly would’ve. Audrey could attest to that. Gil certainly had his way around him and he was most likely unaware of it. His eyes would light up whenever they discussed something he genuinely liked and he found it adorable. The way he would just hug him and the moments back when they were traveling when Gil would put an arm around him or subconsciously cuddle next to him when they slept always sent his head spinning. The way Gil was showing love towards Wolf and being excited to talk about every small milestone he’s going through was something he always looked forward to hearing about.

Gil always had an innocence to him. Everything he did for a person never came out of wanting something in return unlike most of the people on the isle. It was always out of him being kind and just wanting to help others. It wouldn't be right and he doubted it would work to try and win Gil over by flirting or using his usual charm. His brain would turn to mush and he wouldn't even remember how he won people over by being near him. Gil was a genuine person who was way too good for someone like him. Their year spent together only confirmed that.

At the end of the day, the time wasn’t right and he was aware of it. Gil just got off the Isle and was still trying to adjust to Auradon's ways. A relationship could overwhelm him and there were times where Gil admitted he was unnerved by how simple life was in Auradon from vending machines to legal medicine. For those reasons, Jay told his friends that as the reason he wouldn’t confess and despite the teasing, it was an understandable answer.

He wasn't sure if Audrey could understand that though. It didn't feel like it was worth the explanation to try and make her understand his viewpoint, "I...guess I just haven't gotten a chance to."

“But didn’t you guys travel alone for like a year?" She couldn't hold in her laughter at this point, “I can’t believe it! You must be so in love with him!’ 

"Am not!"

"Is so! The girls are gonna have a field day with this!” Audrey laughed even harder, nearly falling to the ground, which caused Abby to immediately stand up and run to Audrey, standing on top of her to lick her face. Naturally, this didn't help her laugh any less.

"I will let Abby eat you if you tell anyone.” He threatened, but the tone of his voice held no threat.

She was calming down by then, trying to get Abby to stop licking her in between her small bursts of laughter, “You can try, but I will just come back to life to tease you about it.”

Jay had no idea what to say to that. He knew, either way, he was so totally screwed because Audrey knew and neither he (or possibly Gil) hid it very well. Were there more people who knew about it other than Audrey, his friends and possibly Gil's friends? The possibility of Gil possibly liking him back made his heart feel like it was going to burst, “Just don’t tell anyone. You got that?”

She managed to sit up and command Abby to sit. She immediately obeyed and sat right beside her lap so Audrey could pet her, “Sure, sure. I’ll buy you time at least. But his birthday’s coming up isn’t it?”

“Yeah in like a month.”

“Well, you should get him something. It could be a good way to show your feelings to him.” She teased.

“I will.” He wasn't sure what he was going to get him, but he felt like Audrey would just roast him if he did. He'll figure it out-hopefully-, “Well, I do have a question though.”

“What is it?”

“What does he say about me?”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to post this as the closest thing to a Christmas present I can give-I would've done a Christmas themed fic for either Descendants or some other fandom but I had no ideas-so Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays!

Jay, Carlos, Audrey, and a worker watched from the window as Gil played with Wolf by using a stick with a feather tied to it in front of it. It was obvious Wolf wasn't used to playing since he was uncoordinated and kept tripping, but with every attempt, he was slowly getting it. It was hard to believe that the cat that was aloof and distant a few months ago had completely turned around. As was instructed, Gil was told to interact with Wolf as he normally does. They couldn't hear the conversations, but Wolf's body language indicated interest and the fact he was playing with him showed complete trust in him.

"I can't say any of us actually expected for him to change so drastically so quickly. This definitely raises his chance of being fostered now before he can be adopted." The worker said, typing something on her tablet as she looked at the two once again.

"It seems like Wolf already picked out his owner, though," Carlos said with a smile only to be matched by a frown from the worker.

"He simply needs to get used to more people besides just one person. This gives him a chance though, but I wonder how much more time he needs."

"He's slowly getting used to the rest of us. Well, only when Gil's around." Jay interjected. He found himself kind of disliking this particular worker; she reminded him of how people initially treated him and his friends when they first arrived in Auradon. Milestones and accomplishments were kept under a checklist and within a specific time frame to look good to the public. Wolf was only lucky he was a cat and that cats can't talk to humans otherwise it would've been just as much of hell for him.

The vibe the worker gave was almost intoxicating and Jay was sure everyone else felt the same. Her response was more so, "He needs to get used to other people. We don't need more bad influences on him, after all."

It felt like whatever background noise there was suddenly stopped. Even the volunteers and coworkers who were doing their own things had stopped the moment those words were said. All eyes were glued to the group as they waited for what will happen next.

"And what do you mean by that? Because clearly, Gil is a terrible influence." He gestured a hand towards where Gil and Wolf were, who were still playing and completely unaware of what was going on outside the room.

“My mom’s Cruella De Vil, remember? Am I a bad influence as well?” Carlos had a look of sheer disappointment etched across his face. He was the one that volunteered at the shelter the longest after all and worked to gain the trust of every person and animal there. Except for one, apparently.

She turned as pale as a ghost and quickly stammered for a plausible sentence, but quickly found there were no words to form an excuse. She looked at her tablet again, muttered something about a meeting that obviously didn’t exist until that very moment, and left. The background noise once again resumed, however, the tone of it carried a different feeling.

“I-I am so sorry...” Audrey said quietly.

“There’s nothing for you to be sorry about,” Carlos answered, “This stuff kinda happens all the time.”

“But neither of you deserve it!” Her voice was much louder than she had intended, “You guys saved Auradon and are volunteering at an animal shelter, not joining a gang! How is some middle-aged worker going to continue judging you like this?”

“We can’t expect people to change their opinions of us overnight. We just gotta be decent people and hope for the best.” Jay spoke up. He was upset obviously and was trying hard not to show it. He didn't make eye contact with either of them; he was looking at the ground and just simply hoping that the conversation and situation would fade away enough for him to leave.

He didn't hear Audrey say anything else after that. Most likely she hoped for the same too, as she also stared at the ground, seeming to feel guiltier for words that hadn't even come out of her mouth.

Luckily, it was Gil that finally let the conversation die out when he stepped out of the room. His usual playful grin had subsided the moment he looked at the three who didn't seem happy for whatever reason. He was luckily spared from the comment, thanks to the fact the door was closed, "What's going on? Are you guys okay?"

"Yeah," Jay looked up at Gil once he heard his voice. He gave a smile at him, but it was one of those tight fake ones he wasn't able to try and hide, "We should probably just go. I think we're not really needed for today."

* * *

"Jay, are you mad at me?"

It was either the hesitation in Gil's voice or the fact he said it that made him stop walking. He had been silent since they left the shelter and while he should have suspected the question to be asked, it still surprised him. "No, why would you think that?"

"You've been acting different since we left... so I thought maybe I said or did something to make you angry."

Jay felt guilty for behaving in a way that made Gil think that. His facial expression softened as he sighed, "I'm not mad at you; you haven't done anything to make me angry at all. I'm just...mad at other people."

"Who?"

"Everyone, I guess."

"Do you wanna talk about it?"

He shook his head. The anger he felt towards that worker had long since gone away. The anger, in general, was still there. He didn't know who to pinpoint the anger on now and maybe that was why he was angry. Angry at the circumstances, angry at how little Auradon citizens changed after a year, angry that he still had to be angry about it... just angry. Gil's calmness only added fuel to the already growing fire. Not because of him, but because he felt that it wasn't fair someone like Gil was still hated and judged despite everything.

"We can just sit down somewhere if you want. Not like we have anywhere else to go for the rest of the night." Gil suggested gently.

Jay nodded and let Gil take him by the hand to a spot near the pond. It was a nice park, but it certainly was much nicer when the sun was setting. The lights slowly illuminated the park and the fact, there was nobody besides them made the park feel special in some way. It reminded them of the days back when they explored the world and witnessed countless sunsets alone in different places. Back when they were practically off the grid and didn't have to worry about how people treated them. Now that they were back in Auradon, it was different now.

They sat on the grass side by side, watching the sunset in silence. The noise of the fountain still trickling and the leaves shifting from the slight wind easily filled in between the silence. The occasional dog barking in the distance or a car passing by was mixed in as well, but it didn't take away whatever mood the park had been giving off. It was a calming and scenic park when it was quiet and it was more than worth it to sit around and watch a sunset that they had seen countless times before but never get tired of.

Eventually, Jay calmed down enough to finally speak, "We don't have to stay here."

Gil hadn't expected for him to speak for a while so what he said had completely caught him off guard, "What do you mean?"

"We could run from this place, steal a boat and never have to deal with anyone again. Could just travel and explore more of the world while we still have a chance."

"Uma could easily find us if we tried. And wouldn't your friends would be upset if you just disappeared?"

"True..."

"Come on, what's really going on?" Gil questioned. Just as he asked, he realized something so he threw another question before Jay could really answer the first one, “Something happened at the shelter, didn’t it?”

Jay couldn’t bring himself to tell him otherwise, so he nodded, “Just some stupid worker not trusting us still.”

He could already see Gil being upset even when he was trying to hide it. And he had every right to be; he was the one who put as much effort in volunteering as Carlos does. If changing a cat wasn’t enough, what would be? "...I guess it was stupid to believe people would change opinions in a year, right? "

"These things take time; people just don’t wanna admit they’re wrong so quickly."

"But how much more time? Another year? Another decade? Another century?" Gil laid his head on his shoulder. Like they had done so many times whenever they got a chance to just sit down and watch whatever was in front of them.

All Jay could see in front of him was a bleak future, “I don’t know, and I don’t even think Mal knows either. But whatever we must go through here will be much easier than what we went through at the Isle. It’s not like this whole transitioning thing will be easy, but it’s easier if we have our friends more than anything else.”

“You’re right.” He answered softly.

It wasn’t exactly the best answer to give but it was really the only answer to give. They couldn’t change the opinions of people that were born with it; they could only hope to do enough things to prove them and even then, it wasn’t a guaranteed success. The change wouldn’t happen quickly, but they had to hope that things would start turning over for the better.

They said nothing after that, each trapped in their own thoughts. They said what they wanted to say and were content enough in simply being beside each other. Eventually, they chose to lay down in the grass with Jay resting his head on Gil’s chest as they looked up at the twilight sky. They wouldn’t see stars because they weren’t in an area away from city lights and car pollution. It gave a slight longing to go to a place where they could go see the stars, but for now, they could only hope to be lucky enough to witness a star that somehow managed to be seen despite it being impossible.

The fountain had shut off for the night, but the lights were still on as their only source of light. If there was ever anyone at the park, they would have left by then. All except two men who didn’t seem to care if it was slowly getting late. The slight chill in the air didn’t bother either of them enough to leave, but it was enough for them to move closer together as they have done before. It wasn’t any different compared to those nights they spent in Agrabah, but the feelings that slowly emerged was something different yet familiar.

They had felt it but had no idea how to express it to the other. It only felt like a situation that once asked would mean that something would change. Maybe they had that feeling back in their travels but were too warped up in planning for the next day they never got a chance to actually confront it. Now that they settled in Auradon, the next day and day after that was already planned because of routine; there was no excuse now.

"Your birthday's this week, isn't it?" Jay eventually asked.

"Yeah." Gil was staring at the sky trying to look for stars. 

"Do you know what you want for your birthday?"

If Gil had said that he wanted to travel for another year, decade, or century, he’d drop everything in an instant and travel with him that night. Hell, he’d try and find Atlantis again if that’s what he wanted. There was a feeling that he wouldn’t ask for any of that stuff, however. The feeling had clouded the atmosphere between them, creating a type of tension that was slowly cracking and would soon break completely if he said the magic words. 

Gil was silent as if he was actually contemplating it. Eventually, his eyes shifted to meet Jay’s. There didn’t need to be any words to realize what was going on through another’s mind, “I think I do.” He admitted quietly. He was almost afraid to press further. If the silence was any longer, he was sure he would have died of a heart attack.

“… Then does that mean you like me?” It was Jay who broke the tension in the end.

It didn’t mean it was all over for Gil, though. It was up to a point where he was sure his own heart beating could be heard, “Yeah… but do you?” He was afraid of the assumption, afraid he would end up screwing things over and it felt like he already had.

Jay sat up and Gil felt like he definitely jumped the gun. He expected him to up and leave, but he didn’t at all. He sat up as well to meet his eyes, trying to figure out if what he said and what he assumed was right in the end. His hand would end up reaching for Gil’s, squeezing it lightly as if it was a silent confirmation his feelings were confirmed.

“I've liked you for a long time, actually.” Jay spoke with a soft smile, "I was just afraid you wouldn't like me back." 

"I was afraid of the same thing too." He couldn't help it but laugh over something that seemed so small to worry about now. They had truly liked each other in the end and were just too afraid to admit it. 

God, they were truly the hopeless idiots his friends said they were. If only they could see them now. 

They continued watching the night sky with their bodies huddled close together and Jay putting an arm around Gil’s shoulder. They didn’t say a word for the rest of the night until they had to stand up and walk back to their homes for the night. While they wished for the night to simply last forever, there was also the morning to look forward to and it was the one thing that allowed them to part ways.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's probably the closest to angst it got in this story and I find myself pretty satisfied for a hardcore sadist when it comes to writing. The next chapter should be the last one if I have no other ideas; I always intended this to be a short story so I apologize if people expected more chapters. Not to worry though, you will definitely be seeing more Jay/Gil content from me as it's the only thing I ship out of the franchise enough to care about and I need to get through my Tumblr requests! 
> 
> ~~I promise I'll publish another chapter to Poison eventually.-~~


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had meant to upload this final chapter the week after chapter 3 was posted...but I ended up getting sidetracked and I apologize for that! I couldn't really think of how to end this so I apologize if the ending seems a little lackluster-this was a story that wasn't meant to have any dramatic plot anywho so I hope this at least makes it fluff enough. So, here you guys go!

Birthdays were celebrated depending on their families mostly. Almost all of them had at least one birthday party as a child before their parents decided that they outgrew them. It seemed like living to one’s birthday was already something to celebrate silently so it was left to their friends to celebrate them as they should. Birthday traditions and rituals were created almost exclusively between groups of friends and for the pirate crew, it was no different, albeit it was a bit rougher than most. Gil never knew what they would do for his birthday and besides planning to spend the evening with Jay, he didn't know what his friends would do now with the unlimited resources around them.

He woke up to the usual birthday ritual his pirate crew had; it mainly involved shouting and lifting the birthday person through the bedsheets. Sometimes, it involved throwing water at them. Or taking them while they slept and placing them in the ocean (with the mattress as a raft, of course). It was a strange birthday ritual that was only equivalent to a more extreme birthday punch. To Gil though, it was home and something he looked forward to. 

After that near-death experience, he headed to the dining room where breakfast was already prepared and ready for him. Uma had prepared his favorite breakfast which seemed all the better, most likely because of the fresh ingredients and creativity Uma had with unlimited foods and flavors. She seemed pretty pleased with it too considering how her eyes would light up anytime anyone complimented her food but, as always, tried to play off her excitement. 

Back in the Isle, it was hard to find something new to do. That didn't mean they didn't try but there was always a longing that there could've been more if they were outside. Now that they were outside, they were right about the possibilities being endless. They could do things they always thought of and even do things that never crossed their minds. It was Ben who gave them a list of things they do for Gil's birthday and it was a list that certainly didn't disappoint anyone.

Gil, Harry, and Uma spent most of the morning walking around town taking advantage of the free birthday food and drinks. They quickly learned that most of the workers were either afraid of them or were students of Auradon Prep grateful for their heroism. Either way, they would end up leaving with more free things than usual. If they weren't full of that huge breakfast they were certainly from how many free foods they ate. By the time they were sure they raided any place possible, they had a bag full of all the free pastries they could get their hands on.

He noticed that Uma and Harry were excited more than usual but it was easy to think of it as the excitement of celebrating a birthday outside of the Isle for the first time. There were many things to be excited about in celebrating a birthday now; free birthday drinks and snacks, birthday cakes, balloons, candy, and more. They ended that morning by going to the cinema and watching a film. Despite it not being a horror film, they were certainly slightly terrified by the high definition and realistic sounds the theater had. Luckily, there was no one else watching the same film otherwise they might’ve just ended up being kicked out from making too many loud noises.

After that film, Harry pulled out his scarf and blindfolded Gil without saying much of a word other than 'hold still' as he tied the scarf. 

With Uma and Harry holding his hands, he had no choice but to be at the mercy of them and hope that he didn't trip up over anything while they refused to let him know where they were going. Other than an occasional tug and guiding him which way to go, they didn’t give any other hint on their next location. It did feel like forever before he heard the door open, hushed whispers, and more doors opening before he felt the blindfold being taken off him.

When the blindfold was finally off of him, it took a few moments for him to adjust to the sudden brightness as a chorus of 'surprise!' was heard throughout the room. When he was able to see clearly, he saw he was in the animal shelter break room. There were streamers decorated across the walls, a 'Happy Birthday' sign, and almost everything needed to show Gil it was a birthday party. The sea of faces surrounding him was familiar; his pirate crew, the volunteers and workers he had befriended, other VKs, some AKs, and even Jay’s friends though Jay was nowhere to be seen. 

It was hard to focus solely on him though from the chaos that was around him with shouts of birthday wishes to the pirate crew chanting ‘cake!’. It was the kind of chaos that reminded him so much of his birthdays back in the Isle only that there was something new. A surprise party was one of them but there was something else to it. He couldn’t contain his grin at this as he turned to Harry and Uma, “Did you guys seriously plan this for me?”

“Well of course we did! Who else would possibly do this-” Harry was interrupted by Uma shoving him which made him sigh, “Alright, we got ‘some’ help from that lover of yours.”

“Jay?" He asked, his voice still held some enthusiasm despite trying to hide it, "Is he here?"

"He will be soon," Uma stated as she looked at the clock in the wall, "He just has some last-minute things he needs to do." 

"Really? I think everything here is perfect-"

"Gil!" Before he could react, he was immediately wrapped in a hug by Celia, "Happy birthday! Now let's eat cake!"

He couldn't help but laugh as he hugged Celia back, "Thanks Cel but we gotta wait for Jay unless there's like some birthday tradition in Auradon we have to do first." 

"Wait for him? He's already here; my shadow saw him!" She answered excitedly. Ever since she was free from the Isle, she found there were no restrictions on her powers. It meant she was free and most importantly, gave more of a chance to use for bribes/blackmail. Her knowing look at Harry and Uma showed she had used her limitless powers to her benefit already. Gil was proud. 

Harry grumbled and handed her money, cursing under his breath. 

Gil had figured that it had something to do with his birthday present so he refrained from asking for the sake of Harry's wallet, "Then I guess we won't have to wait for long if he's somewhere here!"

"Perfect; that should be enough time to give you a reading! Come on, you'll get the birthday special and I won't even ask for money," She held his arm and pulled him away from Harry and Uma before he could say another word.

He ended up sitting in a table that was surrounded by his pirate crew, volunteers and friends. Celia gave her tarot readings which were a bit more accurate than usual but it was still adorable to see her excitement in giving the readings. 

It must have been half an hour before Jay finally showed up. By then, everyone was mostly eating snacks and hanging around with Gil. They were either eating, playing video games, chatting, getting scammed by Celia, or playing poker with a Harry that was winning through rather questionable means.

Gil was enjoying himself though he would frequently look through the door to see if Jay was there. After possibly the umpteenth time of looking, Jay finally walked in through the door. Gil couldn't contain his excitement and quickly rushed over to him to give him a hug, “You finally made it!”

“Sorry I didn’t show up earlier, Gil.” Jay smiled sheepishly as he wrapped his arms around him. 

"Way to be fashionably late for your own boyfriend's birthday." Uma glared at him and Jay didn’t even let it affect him. Mostly.

"I had a perfectly good excuse. I just wanted to make sure that everything was prepared." 

“Prepared for what?” Gil asked. 

“You’ll see later. I promise.” Jay pulled away from him and kissed his forehead briefly to prevent him from asking any more questions.

“As I predicted, he’s here now!” Celia exclaimed proudly. She stood up on the table to be seen more. She even threw some sort of dust for dramatic flair which caused one of the pirates to cough violently. 

“You said that an hour ago.” Dizzy retorted. 

“Doesn’t matter! We can finally have cake now!”

* * *

After they did this weird Auradon tradition of blowing candles on a cake only to remove them to eat said cake, Jay took him by the hand and led him to a separate room. It was mainly used for pets and potential owners to interact one-on-one so the room was as inviting as it could be. There was a cat carrier in the center of the room which was closed. 

"You can open it," Jay said as he closed the door behind them.

Gil did as told and walked almost cautiously to the cage. The tactics he learned at the Isle didn't leave him so not knowing what was in a cage automatically created a fight-or-flight response for him. He soon found there was nothing to worry about because there Wolf was sitting on the cage. He was looking bored but quickly sat up once he saw him, meowing and clawing at the cage.

The moment he opened the cage, Wolf walked out immediately and sat on Gil's lap. He closed his eyes as he let him stroke the top of his head, purring pretty loudly. He smiled widely as he continued petting him, not saying any other word. He didn't know how his birthday could get any better than this.

Jay watched him from afar for a few moments. Eventually, he approached him and sat down next to him. Wolf had grown used to him so he didn't run off, leaving him relieved, "So I wasn't sure what to get you for your birthday. I know that technically you got it but I still wanted to give you something. You can open it." He handed him a yellow envelope.

"You really didn't need to, though." He smiled at him as he took it. He opened it and pulled out a birthday card. A few sheets of paper nearly dropped to the ground that was placed inside of it. The paper seemed to involve a lot of words and information but the first few words were clear. 

_ Congratulations, your application for the Auradon Animal Shelter Foster Program has been accepted. _

"Wait, you signed me up for this?" He looked up at Jay with confusion being clear that it was his only emotion at the moment. 

“Not without some help. Someone had to forge your signature after all." He smiled lightly though it was clear he was just slightly a bit nervous, "You should read the other papers.” 

Gil did as told and pulled out a page that didn’t have to do with the foster program. It was instead a paper that told of lots of information but only a few stood out to him. He looked at Jay with complete shock on his face, “this is for real?”

“Yep, everything there is real.” 

“Oh...So I’m really fostering Wolf now? Why me?” He was feeling all sorts of emotions from confusion to excitement so it was taking him so long to process the reality.

“It seems like he won’t trust anyone else but you so who else would be a better owner than you?”

“I thought he wasn’t ready to be adopted or fostered...”

“Well, not really. But shelters get overcrowded at this time so he was better off getting fostered by you so his progress won’t get worse or something like that. There's a whole process of getting him home but Carlos can explain this better than I can. But the bottom line is that you can take care of him outside of here. Whether you want to adopt him or not is up to you but the option's there.”

"I don't know what to say...but thank you, Jay.” Gil grinned. All of his emotions had subsided except one: happiness.

“Hey, don’t thank me mostly. As much as I’d like to take the credit, this was a team effort.” He knew that they were outside the door to congratulate him but he decided not to bring that info to him just yet. For now, it was just the two of them so he decided that it should be fine to let them have this moment. 

“I’ll thank them when I see them. But for you, really, just thank you.” 

“You don’t have to thank me for everything. I should be thanking you. You were always the type of person to give people chances, even when we were back in the Isle. Honestly, I don’t think I would’ve been able to travel the world if it wasn’t for you. I don’t think I can imagine traveling the world without you now as cheesy as it sounds." 

Gil wanted to speak but he was at a loss for words. He wanted to say the same but how could he word it differently? God, he nearly wanted to cry from the fact this birthday was so much more different than last year's. No barrier, no questionable ingredients in food, and no boredom at all. He got to experience actual sunshine, sightseeing and tasting food that he never thought would be so good in his wildest dreams. Somehow spending it at as well with one of Mal's friends as his boyfriend made it all the more different, and it was a good different. It was the type of change that was overwhelming but it was clear the result would be nothing but peaceful.

Thankfully, Jay had learned to fill in whatever words Gil couldn't say. He leaned over and kissed him. It must've been the first kiss they shared and what a damn shame they waited for so long. It was the kind that was soft and meant so much despite it being short. It was enough for them.

Eventually, they had to leave the room. The presents and leftover cake weren't going to be taken care of themselves. It was way too overwhelming outside for Wolf to come with him so they left him back in the cage for now. A volunteer had entered the room just as they left to watch over him. Harry, Uma, Audrey, Celia, Mal, Evie, and Carlos were waiting for them. From how they looked, it was obvious they were trying to eavesdrop and appear like they totally weren't. 

"So..." Celia spoke up as casually as she could, "What's up?" 

Gil laughed, "Seriously though, I never thought you guys would be able to pull this off..." 

Jay and Carlos glanced at Audrey. She was with the group but in the back, making it a bit hard to see her until Carlos dragged her closer, "Well...we did all chip in but this wouldn't have been possible without someone especially..." 

She smiled sheepishly, "I only did what was fair. And well, I suppose having some connections makes it easier to make things fair." 

"And we did need to forge your signature too...with a threat or two sprinkled in, of course," Harry added in.

“You guys are honestly the best.” Gil couldn't contain his smile even if he tried. He was surrounded by people that must've chipped in, whether monetary or through the application process. He could never imagine being this loved, especially out of the Isle. 

"You make it easier." Jay smiled as he wrapped an arm around him. 

Uma rolled her eyes, "Okay lovebirds, before we need to gouge our eyes out we should head back. I didn't have Harry spend 30 minutes wrapping your gifts for nothing." 

Gil had forgotten about that. He was honestly fine with the day spent with all of them. Everyone was happy. Happier than the time spent in the Isle and happier than before Jay and he left to travel. He got to try so many things and be surrounded by the people he genuinely cared about. He didn't say any of that, though. They already knew and were probably way too excited to see his reaction on actual new things as presents rather than used or refurbished items. 

They walked together back to the break room. As they all kept dropping vague hints on what they had gotten him (thankfully they added in cat toys and supplies), he thought about Wolf and how to arrange his room to suit him. It would certainly be a transition to adjust from taking care of a cat a few hours at a time to 24/7 but he was up for the challenge. 

Jay still had his arm wrapped around Gil, laughing at some joke Carlos had told. He could see it in his eyes that he definitely wouldn't be thinking about running off. Despite the past hardships and hardships to come, they have nothing but a great support system to call their second family. He couldn't help but laugh as well, even if he had missed the joke. 

Once they made it to the break room, he was quickly sat down and had a random present shoved in his hands. There were small tears in the wrapping paper which made it easy to see what it was (and who it was from).

As much as he wanted to sneak off with Jay and go back to the room with Wolf, he definitely was still needed for the unwrapping presents portion. With everyone taking some leftover drinks and food, it felt almost familiar. It felt like he was back in the isle crowding around a table with his friends and sharing a bottle of totally legal alcohol. Auradon was stricter with its age limits but he didn't mind. There were worst things to throw a fuss over. 

Being surrounded by the people he cared about the most was more than enough for him. He made a comment about the present before having another shoved in his hands by Celia this time. This time, it was perfectly wrapped. 

With a laugh, he began opening the present. Each present he opened felt like he was officially shedding away whatever old traditions there were back in the Isle. And that was okay, anyway. The Isle can let him keep his friends and boyfriend and whatever useful skills they may need. He welcomed Auradon in letting him be assured he would see many more birthdays with the people he cares about. 

Now, if only Auradon could be clear if Wolf would even allow him to dress him up in that taco costume Audrey had gifted. He'll figure it out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thank you guys for reading this and being patient with the updates! I had intended for this to be done much quicker but alas, life and procrastination were in the way. It was incredibly fun to write about these two and I'm definitely planning to post more Jay/Gil fics soon so keep an eye on that! (And also possibly something on Celia and Gil's relationship because it feels too cute to pass up-) As always, if you have a request for Jay/Gil or just wanna chat I have a [Tumblr](https://insomniac-pens.tumblr.com) or for more of my links, check out my [Carrd!](https://lavendercoffee.carrd.co/) Thank you once again for reading, commenting, liking and bookmarking! Have a wonderful new year!


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